Introducing... Rhiannon! Rhiannon is an amazing individual who is extremely hard working and motivated. I had the pleasure of going to The BRIT School with her and am still blown away by her talent. In this interview we discussed her show on Wizard Radio, her proudest achievement and more. Super excited for you all to read so here you are.
Hi! So could you introduce yourself, how old you are, where are you from and what area of the music industry are you aspiring to be in?
Hey I’m Rhiannon I’m 19 years old living in South London. I’m currently a indie/alternative presenter for W!zard Radio. I present every week from 11am-12 UK time and you can tune in via www.wizardadio.co.uk if you fancy hearing some of the latest indie and alternative music. I’ve interviewed some amazing people so far for example: DEVON, Josh from Larkins, Holly Humberstone and Phem. I also do photography and videography in my spare time. Before the pandemic I was going to gigs every other night and taking photos of bands and artists. So I can’t wait to get back to doing that in the future. In terms of what area I’d like to go in. I’d love to keep pushing Radio and see where it take me. I’ve always had an interest for working in telly so that’s something I’d love to delve in at some point. A dream of mine is to work for MTV. I have so many areas of interest. This means I’m very much flexible with whatever path comes my way. However, all I know I’d that I want to stay in the music industry because I love music but I am also super interested in learning more about the business aspects of the industry.
Rhiannon's most recent photography of Saara Kaldma
Link To Saara's Single - https://open.spotify.com/track/7uXlNzz6mYtgNbkRFmPzuJ?si=lx3_OqZASsWf_9OnxQBfOg
The music industry is know for its challenges and hurdles along with rare opportunities. Does the music industry intimidate you?
1000%! It still does. For me I’ve just been trying to let go of the fear that comes with wanting to get into the music industry. I think this stems for whenever I was vocal about wanting to get into the music industry I was met with “really? You do know it is very hard to get into the music industry” or “You should probably have a back up plan.” This is very hard to hear and quite terrifying in itself. However. I think it is really important you pursue what you want to do. Of course the music industry is hard to get into but that doesn’t mean it cannot be done by you or I. With the music industry there is never a path that is linear, which in my opinion makes things more exciting but also quite daunting. You just have to keep jumping over those hurdles like you said until you find your path. As well as trying your best to see rejection as redirection.
What is your best piece of work that you are particularly proud of and why?
In the past I’ve found it really difficult to be proud of my work - being a perfectionist. However now, I think it’s really interesting to look back at my journey and see how far I have come.
I interviewed Holly Humberstone not too long ago. Who is one of the fastest growing artists at the moment. It was so inspiring to speak about her journey as an artist before being spotted and going on tour with Lewis Capaldi. I think it’s my favourite interview I have done so far because it felt so natural. I’ve linked it below if you’d like to have a peek. I also would like to share a film I made about toxic masculinity, mental health and feeling more confident about yourself. It got screened at Better Bankside in London to raise money for men’s mental health too. So it’s one I am super proud of.
Holly Humberstone Interview - https://www.wizardradio.co.uk/news/interview-with-holly-humberstone
Toxic Masculinity Film - https://youtu.be/ohZuwaYsh58
How did you discover what area you liked of music?
I discovered radio through being super inspired by Helen Skelton as a child. So when I found out she started her career in radio. Of course I wanted to follow in her footsteps. Therefore, at the age of 14 I joined my local hospital radio station called Sunshine Radio on the Isle of Wight. Then after completing my GCSE’s I wanted to take radio a step further and study film and media at a college in London that would have more opportunity available. After applying for a range of different colleges I got into the BRIT School, where I fell in love with radio and music even more. From making music videos and being a presenter on the colleges radio station. I was able to find my true passion music and media. Coming from the Isle of Wight I had never gone to a gig before. So when I got to London all I did in my spare time was go to gigs (photos below). Which is where I’d say I truly fell in love with music and knew I wanted to work within the music industry. This made me want to delve into and learn about the industry. As well as hopefully in the future get a career in.
Being a Radio presenter, do you get nervous before going on air and how do you overcome that fear?
Yes of course! Even though I have been doing radio for so long now it is super nerve racking at times. However, I try and turn my nerves into excitement. I used to get extremely nervous before ever single show, however after presenting every week since January 2020, without fail it has really helped me build up my confidence. So by presenting regularly on the show has of course helped. However, what helps me overcome that fear when it creeps up every now is taking a few deep breaths and just telling myself I’ve got this and it will all be alright.
What is something you wish you could say to someone high up in your profession?
I’d love to ask Annie Mac how she prepares to go on air. Whether she does anything specific. As before I go on air I have a list of bullet points of things I want to talk about and go from there. So it would be really interesting to see if she scripts her show at all. I think it would be reassuring to ask her if she ever gets nervous before or during show too. I’d also be curious to find out how she discovers brand new artists herself. Something I struggle with when it comes with radio is that if I’m having a particular tough day or just not feeling like being jolly on the radio. It can be tough to get yourself into that zone. So it would be really insightful to know how Annie gets in the zone if she’s not feeling like it one day.
I know everyone is so over being in lockdown! How have you made lockdown into a positive thing and how has it helped you in terms of progressing your area of work?
Yes lockdown has been so tough for everyone! I’ve tried my best to stay productive during this lockdown, but this of course hasn’t been easy at all when motivation and morale is pretty low amongst us all. I’ve tried not to put too much pressure on myself. Over lockdown, I like so many people have delved into knitting and random things to keep my mind busy. However, having so much free time has enabled me to push the radio even further. Due to everyone being stuck at home. Radio was one of the few constants that kept going thoughout lockdown. So I felt I had a true responsibility to keep people going. Giving so many people a space to relax away from everything and listen to their favourite tunes. Due to so many people bored out of their minds and not having much to do. It was the perfect time to grow the show and expand my audience. Since January 2020 I’ve been able to more than double the amount of listeners who tune into the show every week. Now I have developed over 100,000 people who tune into the show every single week, which is insane. I doesn’t seem real to be honest because to me it is just me in to studio or in my room under my duvet recording. So to me it feels like it’s just me and my microphone.
What are three songs you want everyone to hear ASAP?
That is such a tough one because there is so many artists and songs people need to know about and listen to. However, if I had to narrow it down. I can’t choose out of these four:
The One That I Wanted - Joe Weston ft Cerys Eless
The Horror - Lotusbliss
Nothing Else - Tenacity, Tim Burghaus & Daniel Lazenby
I Don’t Need Somebody To Love Me - Eleanor and the Dream
Do you think music has become an aesthetic, so if you listen to Indie music do you think it influences you to adapt to that style such as what you wear and how you act?
Yes I would say what music you listen to has become an aesthetic to some degree. Some people find it “edgy” or “cool” to listen to certain genres and follow the stereotype of a particular fashion style in terms of that genre of music. For example, you have the classic soft boy and skater boy aesthetic that are deemed to listen to indie/alt music and e-girls who listen to more emo rap. However, in terms of myself I just listen to whatever I like listening to and wear whatever I fancy wearing that day. Whether that’s a flowery skirt or baggy jeans the next with a beanie. I’m not fussed about aesthetics in all honestly I just do my own thing.
"honestly I just do my own thing".
Trends are a huge thing at the moment, but do you think they happen too quickly these days? Do you think this results in new artists having 15 seconds of fame?
I’d say they happen quickly yes. As one day one thing is trending and then the next it’s something else. It’s really a hit or miss and down to luck a lot of the time. Of course some artists will get short lived popularity but it’s about taking that popularity and keeping the hype high if you can as an artist. Keeping the new stuff coming out I’d say. However, I think TikTok has enabled so many artists to launch their career for example, Still Woozy, BENEE and Girl in Red also who have had much more than 15 seconds of fame as their journeys are still going strong.
Do you think Gen Z will drastically change the music industry? What areas in the industry do you think will change the most?
Hands down Gen Z will change the industry. I think playlists are actually more popular amongst our generation than albums. Due to streaming service like Spotify coming out with tonnes of playlist you can listen to no matter what mood your feeling. For example, if your feeling a chill mood. You can quickly put on a chill playlist and it will hit the vibe. I think there will be a shift in popular music as indie and alternative music has already increasingly became more popular. It’s so great to see indie/alt artists getting top spots in the charts. For example Billie Eilish who even topped the charts with her James Bond themed song “No Time To Die.” I also think bedroom pop is massive for gen z and will rise up in the future. As it has got popularity from gen z artists making music in their bedrooms like Kamal, Clairo and Beabadoobee. I think live performances will be turned up to the max and people will want to see live music more than ever. Especially after lockdown is over. I think there will be much more appreciation for music also. Not just because something sounds nice but the realisation of the effort, time and energy put behind that music. I also think our generation will make the music industry a better and more accepting place for everyone also, which gives me so much hope.
Thank you for answering some questions! I wish you all the best for the future, is there anything else you’d like to add?
No worries at all. Thank you so much - likewise! I think that’s groovy. My socials are @rhiannonnevada on Instagram, Twitter and YouTube. Then again if you fancy listening to some amazing tunes you can catch my radio show via https://www.wizardradio.co.uk every Saturday from 11am UK time. Or you can catch it on repeat in the repeats section. Thanks so much :)
Rhiannon's Links: